Feeling Seasick? Try This

A few years ago, Lenny’s post on 5 Ways to Prevent Seasickness went viral. And it’s hardly surprising. Those of us who’ve experienced “mal de mer” would do anything to avoid it.

So I’m eager to test out a new solution: Boarding Ring Glasses.

Our resident mad professor tried on a pair of boarding glasses, but he hasn’t yet reported back his results.

Seasickness is caused by sensory conflicts between your inner ear (which senses motion) and your eyes (which don’t see any unless you are within sight of a stable horizon). Boarding Ring Glasses have tinted fluid in the frames to create an artificial horizon. According to Alex Smith, “The idea is that the self-leveling of the fluid enables your eyes to transmit the same data to your brain as your inner ear, thereby removing the sensory conflict that causes motion sickness in the first place.” Read Boarding Ring glasses: Sick Specs for Sea Dogs on uk.boats.com.)

(Alex also recommends an alternative solution, at least for passengers: a gin and tonic. In addition to quinine and carbonation, this method also provides “an effective representation of the natural horizon.” But it is not reversible if it doesn’t work.)

The Boarding Ring glasses can be worn alone or over a pair of regular glasses. Photo: Boarding Ring

The thing I like about best about the Boarding Ring Glasses? No side effects, other than looking like a martian. (And tossing cookies over the side ain’t such a great look either.) They even have a clipon version to use over regular eyeglasses, and they’re completely reversible: simply remove them when back on calm waters again.